


The Magic of Family

by thewiredgalaxy



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Lunar Interlude III, Magic Lessons, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 21:37:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewiredgalaxy/pseuds/thewiredgalaxy
Summary: Taako just wanted a quiet evening at home before his next mission to collect another relic. Just wanted to make a pizza, drink some wine, and watch some tv. That isn't what he gets. He gets Angus McDonald.





	The Magic of Family

The dough had risen and Taako only had to play with it a bit to get it to perfection. He put it down on a bed of flour and kneaded it some. But he liked to have a bit more fun than just that. He tossed it once, played with it a bit, twice, played with it a bit more, thrice, and one last play. He put it back down and rolled it flat. 

Next came a gracious spoonful of sauce, spread evenly. Followed by a layer of cheese. There were four types in that mixture. Just one can’t be used. Mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, and habanero cheddar. The last to have that kick. All the toppings came after. Pepperoni, onions, tomato slices, and mushrooms. Classic. But good. And it would be all to himself. Roommates out until gods know when and no foreseeable interruptions either. 

It was going to be a good night.

Until a knock happened upon his door. He knew it would be too good to be true. 

He opened the door, frowning down at the small nuisance. 

“Angus…” he muttered.

“Hello, sir!’ the boy beamed up at him. There was a book clutched in his arms. It looked familiar. 

Oh fuck.

“Don’t tell me….” he trailed off, rubbing his forehead.

“We were supposed to have a magic lesson this afternoon, sir! I waited around the library for over an hour for you and, when you didn’t show up, I decided to come find you,” Angus explained, shifting the book. It was the spell book Taako had made for his protégé. A guide book on how he could learn how to be a powerful wizard – albeit one not as powerful as himself.

“It must have slipped my mind, Agnes,” he explained. It really had. He had been hyper focused on his evening alone that he thought it to be his whole day after Magnus and Merle went out to do their own things. He had gone out shopping for his pizza. Spent the afternoon making the dough from scratch. Had to prepare the ingredients. It was a lot of work. 

“Do you mind if we have the lesson now? I know you’re going on an important mission tomorrow and I don’t want us to get behind. And if you can show me how to do the stuff in the next chapter, I can practice them while you’re gone and-…” Taako waved his hand to quiet him.

He wanted this evening to be all about him. Time to relax before going on another relic hunt. But. He did owe it to Angus for forgetting about him. 

The elf gave a sigh.

“Alright, we’ll get started once I get my dinner in the oven,” he told the boy, letting him come inside. Which he did happily. There was a spring in his step and a smile glued on his face. He politely took off his shoes as the door was shut behind him. He followed his host to the kitchen and putting his large book down on the table before he took a seat. Taako put his pizza in the oven, sighing into its warmth before closing the door and setting the timer.

He wasn’t sure if he was going to regret or enjoy this homeschooled lesson.

“What are you making for dinner, sir?”

“Pizza.”

“Oh! Is it pepperoni?”

“Well, it’s got pepperoni on it.” The boy was always full of questions. But he was just that, a boy. A child. Still figuring out the world. Not yet ready to find his place. Although he seemed to be trying to find his place by Taako’s side by worming into it. If he wasn’t solving a mystery of sorts on the moonbase, he could be found following his mentor around – if not him, Merle or Magnus. 

“I’m guessing you haven’t had dinner yet?”

“No, sir, I was waiting for you and then came here.”

“Right…” He leaned against the counter and folded his arms. He eyed the boy over. He had opened his book to the last chapter they’d been working on – first level spells.

He found it peculiar though. Angus was a smart kid. Knowing him, he probably read through the book at least half a dozen times and written countless notes. He wasn’t just Taako’s protégé. He was a prodigy. Kid was a genius. He rarely gloated about it. But he knew it. 

But why would he bother coming to see him to teach him when he could teach himself?

“Sir? Your timer beeped.” Angus’ words broke him out of his chain of thought. He moved quickly, pulling on his oven mitts and pulling out the pizza. He put it on the counter and glanced to the boy. He was on his feet, rooting through Taako’s cupboards to pull them both out plates and cups. He set the table proper and put a napkin at both their spots – Taako’s at the head and Angus at his usual spot on Taako’s left side. 

Cutting it into eight equal pieces, he brought over two for each of their plates. “What do you want to drink, pumpkin?”

“Milk, please and thank you!” he beamed, always so polite. He nodded in response. He got the milk from the fridge and filled up the boy’s cup and then poured wine into the one he was given. “The pizza looks amazing, sir!”

“Thanks, Angus, I made it from scratch. But, just be careful, the pizza’s a bit hot,” he warned Angus as he picked up a slice.

“Don’t worry, sir! It should be cooled down enough,” he assured as he took a large bite. Which he spat out immediately, barely chewed. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” He whimpered loudly, grasping for his cup and downing it fast, tears forming in his eyes. “What’s on that?”

“Nothing spicy, except habanero cheddar,” he explained as he poured Angus another glass. He drank it just as fast as the last.

“Those are r-really hot...” he muttered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He looked over to the elf. It seemed like he was going to cry.

“I’ll…make you something else,” he sighed. He patted the child’s head in a small act of comfort and went to his pantry to find something else for him. 

He wanted something fast. Something that wouldn’t take him more than a few minutes to cook. Something he could get in Angus fast so he wouldn’t have a chance to cry. Fast so that they could finish dinner – so he could sit and enjoy his – and they could get the lesson over and done with. So that he could have the rest of his evening to himself before the others got home. 

He knew there was something that Magnus bought for Angus for if he needed a meal when over. He knew it was something canned and childish. He browsed through the shelves, pushing what he didn’t want out of his view. At the back of the lowest shelf he found the can. Animal shaped pasta in tomato sauce with an easy peel off lid. All it needed was to be microwaved. 

He found a dish he could pour the dinner into so he could safely cook it and put the food in. Once it was in the microwave with the timer on, he sat at the table and took a bite of his pizza. It was hot, he wasn’t going to lie, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle. The other cheeses and toppings balanced out the heat.

Angus was quiet. He was reading the spell book again and nursing his milk. Taako kept an eye on him for a moment, a frown pulling at the corner of his lip slightly. He seemed a bit off.

He jumped when the microwave beeped.

He got up and pulled out the dish, giving it a stir before he brought it to the boy.

“This time, it’s temperature hot,” he told him with a small laugh, trying to lighten the boy’s mood.

Only a weak smile managed to come to his lips. “Heh…thanks…” He simply glanced over the food as he marked the page of his book and closed it. Now Taako’s frown made itself prominent.

“What’s wrong, Angus?”

“I-I’m sorry, sir…” His voice was no more than a whisper. His trying smile fell from his face. 

“Why?”

“Well, I came here without invitation and I infringed on your dinner and then I spat it out and you had to-…” Taako waved his hand to cut him off once again.

“Pumpkin. It’s fine. I missed our lesson and you were only coming by to make sure you got it. I also didn’t warn you about the habaneros. Just relax, eat your dinner, and we can have our lesson. It’s fine.” His voice was firm but he smiled some at him. And Angus beamed.

“Alright, sir, thank you!” 

As they started to eat their dinners, Angus happily chatted about the spells in the next chapter he wanted to learn. Taako knew he had read ahead. But his enthusiasm was endearing. He was most excited to learn Mage Hand and Prestidigitation. Both easy to learn. Which meant they were easier to teach. Bonus. 

When dinner was done, Angus took his dishes and Taako’s to the sink before he grabbed his book and ran to the living room. He put his book on the coffee table and hopped on the couch. He sat at attention, eyes on his mentor. 

“Ready, sir!” he exclaimed.

The elf chuckled and smirked at him. “Alright. It’s time, lil man, for you to learn Mage Hand.”

~*^*~

When they finished the lesson, it was sundown. And Angus looked beat. He was flopped on the couch, eyes half lidded. A large yawn slipped past his lips as he closed his book. “Thank you for the lesson, sir… I should probably be on my way now.”

Taako looked the boy over. He looked ready to pass out where he was. He probably wouldn’t make it two steps before he’d fall asleep. He still had a few hours until Merle and Magnus would be home. If he walked him home, he would have some time to himself. But something about the boy being so tired, and forgetting about him before, made him feel a little bad about making him go home to his dorm where he would be alone. 

“You can crash here, Angus. You’ll end up falling asleep before you get home and end up sleeping on the sidewalk,” he said, taking the book from him and putting it on the coffee table. “Make yourself comfortable and I’ll find you a blanket.”

He was only given a nod in response as Angus took off his glasses and curled up comfortably. Taako returned with an afghan and draped it over him. A murmur like ‘thank you’ came in response as he pulled away, patting Angus’ head.

He went to sit in the chair beside the couch and turned on the tv. He kept the volume low and put on one of his cooking competition shows. It was the second round and people were sweating to get their dishes done. The host laughed near maniacally at the suffering of the contestants. Quality television.

A small snore from the boy broke his gaze from the show to look at him. He was already fast asleep. He looked a little cute asleep. And it got him to thinking. 

He wouldn’t be seeing this, if he hadn’t forgotten about him.

But had somewhat figured out why Angus came by to make sure he still had his lesson. 

Part of it was because he was his student. He was still learning about magic. He was a protégé but he wasn’t exactly a great wizard yet. He still had issues with cantrips. He barely produced anything during the lesson today. But Taako knew probably when he got back from getting this next relic that he would be much better.

The other reason was more of an assumption, than anything else. But he figured it was because Angus was alone. He lived in a dorm room on his own, as a child. His family wasn’t there to take care of him. It was just him against the world. And Taako had been in a similar position. Not much family that was there for him growing up. He was just passed around when he was too much to handle. He decided to run away to find a place where he belonged. He never really got that until he made his show. But even that ended up fucked up.

Angus was different than him though. He left his family and came to the Bureau. A place where his talents would be useful. Where he’d be treated more kindly. Where he would have a better family. Even though some teased him a lot more than they should. But at least he had people there for him. People who wouldn’t send him home to his empty dorm when he could barely keep his eyes open.

He sighed and turned back to the tv. 

He didn’t know how he’d explain to Merle and Magnus about why Angus was sleeping on their couch but he had a few hours to concoct some sort of lie before then. Can’t have them think he’s gone soft on the boy now.

**Author's Note:**

> My friend told me to write about pizza and this somehow came about but I hope you enjoy it!


End file.
